Please Don't Taint My Love
by Shikawa
Summary: There is a strange figure wandering around town and its very intersted in Ritsuka. Who is the figure? Soubi recieves advice from Ritsu saying he should keep away from his sacrifice from now on. What is happening?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Loveless. The manga and story and art all belong to the wonderful Mangaka, Yun Kouga. This is my first Loveless fic and I'm going by the anime not the manga just to warn all of those readers out there.

Once again he shut himself in his room to keep his mother at bay. No longer was pain a stranger to him, yes that was true. However after enduring it for quite a while, the small boy had grown tired of it. He looked at his bandaged hand and frowned. How long was this going to keep up? Was going back to the original Ritsuka worthy enough to stop all this abuse? He sighed and layed his head down on his desk. For a moment sleep was taking control of his eye lids until he noticed the curtains flapping in the wind. _Was someone here?_

Ritsuka rubbed his eyes and walked over to shut the sliding door when he saw a familiar figure standing in front of him. He fell back and almost yelled in fright but realized it was Soubi.

"My apologies Ritsuka. Did I scare you?" the man said helping up to his feet.

"N-no. You just surprised me. Why this sudden visit?"

"We haven't seen each other in two weeks. I wanted to see how you were."

"Two weeks? Oh!" The dark haired boy suddenly remembered that he had been studying for his exams for junior high. He hadn't even spent much time hanging out with Yuiko and Yayoi since he began studying.

"Why didn't you come to see me if it was bothering you that much?" Ritsuka asked trying to hide his blush.

"I wasn't able to because of my final exams at the university. I'll be starting my second year there soon."

For a moment the boy didn't say anything and kept looking down at his feet. He was happy to see Soubi again but he was also mad at him. Sure he was studying but there had to have been study breaks too. Suddenly he felt arms embracing him in a warm hug. His eyes widen a little then looked up at the man's face.

"I'm sorry. I'll come see you when I can. However I am free now. If you tell me what you want I'll do it," Soubi said holding him closer.

Ritsuka didn't know what to do. He felt an urge to cling to the fighter and cry but also an urge to hit him and yell. "No hitting wouldn't solve anything," he thought. "Tell me Ritsuka," Soubi said again in a low voice.

"I...I want you to stay for a while."

"That I will be more than happy to."

Ritsuka soon relaxed and became less tense. The fighter played a little with the boy's hair and smiled. They sat together on the bed and watched as moonlight filled the room. Soubi heard a small yawn from the younger boy and saw he was barely keeping his eyes open. He chuckled and shifted waking the boy fully now.

"Its getting late Ritsuka. You should get some sleep," he said carefully tucking him into bed.

"Mmm...Sorry. I thought I could stay up." Ritsuka closed his eyes again and let Soubi pull the covers over him.

"Don't worry. Its not your fault. Nothing ever is." As he said those words the boy was snoring lightly and snuggling against the pillows that supported his head. "I love you Ritsuka." With that he kissed Ritsuka on the forehead but noticed a new injury upon him. He lifted his bandaged hand and kissed it softly so he wouldn't hurt him. Ritsuka stirred but remained sleeping. Soubi walked to the sliding door and let himself out.

Back at his apartment, Kio sat there eating some dried mango while thinking when Natsuo and Youji were going to leave. The two brats have been there for a long time and needed to get out so he could be alone with his Sou-chan. Kio dropped his dried mango when he saw Soubi come through the door.

"Where were you? Its not like you to go off wandering around like that."

"Ah sorry. I was just seeing how a certain friend of mine was doing." Soubi took his coat off and pulled out a cigarette.

"Who?" Kio asked picking up his snack from the floor.

"Just a friend," He said simply. Knowing how the blonde would react he kept quiet. "What have the other two been doing?"

The other man looked behind him at the room they have been sleeping in. "Torturing me to no end! When are they going to leave Sou-chan?"

Soubi puffed out a little cloud of smoke and walked outside so he wouldn't stink up the whole apartment. "Hey Sou-chan! Are you listening?!" Kio yelled after him. "Just who in the world goes to see how a friend is doing at 11 at night?! Most people would be asleep by now! Hey!"

The warcraft closed the door behind him so he could enjoy his smoke in peace. "I bet it was that Aoyagi brat you were seeing huh?! You stupid shota lolita complex!" the blonde man yelled banging on the door.

Natsuo and Youji peeked out from the bedroom and looked at each other in wonder. "Whats going on?" Youji asked focusing his attention at the man who was putting on a rather weird display of jealousy. "No idea but maybe its better if we don't find out," Natsuo said waving his hand and going back into the bedroom. The aqua haired boy shrugged and closed the door.

"That guy," Youji began again "he always says we should leave but maybe he should be the..." The boy stopped and started looking around. "Youji? What is it?" Natsuo asked looking up at his partner. The other boy didn't listen and instead went to the window to look outside.

Natsuo was getting worried now. "Youji what's wrong?!" The red head boy pulled The aqua haired boy from the window and shook him a little. "What is wrong?! What happened?!"

"I...I just had this weird feeling that there was a warcraft around." Youji looked scared but Natsuo smiled nervously. "Well yeah. Beloved is here remember?"

Youji looked at him anxiously. "No! Not him! Someone else was around just now! Didn't you feel it?!" The red head shook his head. He popped his head at the window but saw nothing but darkness. He returned his gaze to his sacrifice. "It was probably nothing to worry about. Your just tired," Natsuo said caressing his the side of Youji's face. "Come on. Lets get some rest." The other frowned a little but reluctantly got into bed next to Natsuo.

Outside a figure lingered but slowly made its way down the road. Soubi had finished his cigarette and noticed something moving along the road. He rubbed his eyes and saw nothing. "I must get some sleep. I haven't gotten enough rest lately. I've been too worried about Ritsuka."

"Souu-chaan...," Kio whined, "please come back inside. Your going to catch a cold." The door opened almost squishing Kio against the wall.

"Yikes! Sou-chan what are you doing?!" The warcraft ignored his question and took his cell phone out but then stopped when he realized what time it was. It wasn't exactly the best time to be calling someone or leaving a message either. He flipped his phone closed and sighed.

Ritsuka awoke to the sound of rain slapping outside. He groaned as he sat himself up and looked around. Soubi was not there.

"He must of went home," he thought rubbing his eyes. His room had a blue glowing to it which meant it was near dawn and sleep still circulated through his system. He went over to the sliding door and looked out. Everything looked grey and gloomy with a few flower pots dotting the neighbor's balconies with colorful poppies and daisies but even those looked like they had a certain shade of grey. He looked over at his alarm clock which read 5:37 am. "Mom should be getting up soon to make breakfast. I'll skip today. I can wait till lunch," he said flopping back on his bed. Ritsuka wasn't in the mood to play food games with his mother.

He was crawling back into bed when he heard a thump on the sliding door that made him jump. He walked over thinking it was Soubi once again. "What is that idiot doing here now..."

A dark figure stood at his door as if waiting to be let in from the rain. Ritsuka gasped and backed away. The figure was pounding softly on the door as Ritsuka scooted to his bedroom door. "Wha-what is that?!" he thought shivering. The stranger got frustrated soon and left the boy sitting there alone with the rain continuing its splashing noises. He slowly stood up and ran to the sliding door to lock it and clos ethe curtains.

He fell alseep after quivering under his covers for a few minutes and awoke to the sound of his mother banging on the bedroom door 10 minutes later. "Ritsuka! Ritsuka! I made you something special this morning. Please come down and eat!" Ritsuka frowned.

"Its too early for me to be up. I'll come down at 7:00!" he yelled back.

Please Ritsuka! I know you will love it! Please come and eat!" Geez, the woman would not give up.

Ritsuka put on his clothes and slippers and walked down to the kitchen where his mother sat happily waiting for her son. The boy pulled his chair out and sat down quietly. The woman went to the teapot and poured some tea in a cup for him. "Its orange chamomile."

"Thank you," he said in a low voice. He picked up his chopsticks and began eating slowly. Every now and then he would recieve glares from his mother across the table as she ate and drank her tea. Ritsuka was careful to eat the food that the "old" Ritsuka liked and to avoid the ones he least like. When he was done his mother smiled. "Did you like it?"

"Yes. It was delicious. I'm gonna get ready for school," he replied. The boy moved from his seat and started to move past his mother when she grabbed him by the wrist. He jumped a little and saw his mother frowning. That wasn't a good sign.

"Ritsuka doesn't like orange chamomile tea. Why did you drink it?!"

He was suddenly pushed to the floor by the woman. The boy tried to scramble away but he was stopped when she grabbed him from the waist. "Bring him back! You little demon!" she shouted trying to keep him from going any futher across the floor. "Mom stop it! Your hurting me!" Ritsuka said breaking free from her grip. The boy was a bit too slow and felt an impact to his right cheek. "Bring him baack!!"

His mother picked up a butter knife that fell from the table and held it above his eye. "Mom stop!!" he cried.

**AN:** Okay I know that everything happened faster than it should have but trust me. If I were to write more detailed, it would of dragged on and on. So sorry for those who found it fast pace. And yes I am being mean by leaving you with a cliff hanger D. I'll see how the first chapter goes. If everyone likes it enough for me to continue it, I will.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Well, well I'm glad some of you have enjoyed the first chapter. Lets see how chapter 2 shall go, ne? Anyways please excuse me if any character sounds out of place. I've never written anything about Loveless before and this is my first time. :3 Please enjoy the following.

And just to be safe I forgot to say that this is shounen-ai (boys love) so if this really isn't your kind of reading please leave.

"Ritsuka-kun how have you been? I didn't see you last week." Katsuko-sensei was facing her young patient with a small smile. She didn't want to seem to appear too worried over him. Ritsuka layed on the couch and had a emotionless expression on. He inhaled quietly and then sat up. The reason he missed the last appoinment with Shouko-sensei was due to another one of his mother's episodes she had over the tea he drank.

flash back

_"Mom stop!!" he cried._

_A sudden cry of pain was heard through out the house. Misaki dropped the knife in horror when she realized she had gone too far. Ritsuka held his face with both of his hands and remained still. The woman moved away and picked the knife up hastily. She looked at the utensil that was covered with a smudge of blood then back at her son. _

_"M-mom...," Ritsuka said shaking. It was quiet for a moment as if almost nothing was there. He slowly lifted himself up next to the table then wobbled out of the kitchen. The women watched him leave then dropped the knife in the sink. She fell to her knees and sobbed loudly. _

_"Where is he?! I want him back!" _

_Ritsuka was in the bathroom trying to ignor his mother's loud sobs and yelling. He looked at himself in the mirror to see how much damage was done. A red slit was spotted between his nose and left eye. She nearly damaged his sight in his left eye but she missed. Blood was dripping down at this point and his hands were covered in it from holding his face. He carefully washed it and bandaged it up. Once his hands were washed he looked around him and felt loneliness devour him inside. _

_Fearing his mother would break down his bedroom door, he remained in his bathroom. Ritsuka fought the urge to sob but he couldn't hold it in any longer. He layed on the ground and sobbed by himself wishing he was away from all this. With this injury however he couldn't go walking around school where Yuiko and Yayoi and especially Shinonome-sensei could get suspicious. He already had a hell of a time making up excuses for the others he recieved. _

_The boy wiped his tears away but his pale face remained moist. He sniffed then opened the door to his bedroom. The clock read 12:10 pm. His stomach growled which made him frown. He cautiously walked out of his room into the halls to find that his mother left a note on the table. _

_"Went shopping to buy some yakisoba noodles and chicken. I'll be back by 3 pm."_

_He opened the fridge and took a can of tea out. Afraid she could arrive home early under some weird circumstance he retreated back to upstairs. _

end flash back

"I'm sorry sensei. I wasn't feeling well that day," he simply replied. The boy hoped she would not mention the scar on his face but she had to say something nonetheless. "What happened to your face Ritsuka-kun? Did someone do that to you?" Katsuko-sensei asked twirling her pen around.

Ritsuka shook his head and explained a cat scratched him when he tried to pick it up. "I didn't know you liked cats. I thought...," Katsuko-sensei was stopped in the middle of her sentence when Ritsuka stood up abruptly and had a serious expression on.

"Sorry sensei but I have to go now. Our time is up."

"Ah, your right. We will continue next time. Be careful on your way home."

"Thank you. I will," Ritsuka said as he bowed then made his way out.

As he walked down the street to his house the sudden fear of being watched took hold of him. He stopped and looked about his surroundings. He continued on when he felt sure no one was there.

"Great. Now I'm acting like a paranoid weirdo," the boy thought moving some hair out of his eyes. Ritsuka continued down the street trying to think of something to keep his mind busy but nothing seemed interesting enough. "The figure," he thought realizing. "Who was that? Is he part of the Seven Moons?"

"I'm telling you what I saw! It was some creepy guy standing outside in the rain!" Youji was trying to convince Soubi that what he saw was not just his imagination.

"Youji calm down! Soubi do you know anything about this?" Natsuo asked pulling his sacrifice close to him.

Soubi lit his cigarette and puffed out a small cloud of smoke. "No. I don't."

"What if he's part of the Seven Moons? I mean he looked pretty suspicious."

"He could be. Though it was probably nothing."

Youji frowned and Natsuo patted him on the back. Soubi went back to his painting project for school when Kio came rushing in. Though Kio and Soubi had known each other for a good number of years, Soubi just wished he would be out somewhere while he was working sometimes.

"Sou-chan! Sou-chan! I brought some bento for us!" he said happily.

"Ah, thank you Kio. I'll eat in a little while. I have to finish this for tomorrow morning," the taller man said wiping his paint brush with a cloth.

Kio sighed then resumed to suck his lollipop and set the bento in the fridge. The blonde looked over at the two boys who were looking over at the amazing painting that had been so beautifly shaped from just some simple brush strokes. Kio watched annoyed that the boys were near his friend like that and walked up to them.

"Come on you two bed time!" he said dragging them by the collars of their shirts to the bedroom.

"Hey you stupid moron! Whats the idea?!" Youji said struggling.

"We want to watch!" Natsuo said trying to pull free from his grasp. After the blonde shut them in, he walked over to Soubi who was putting away his brushes and paints. Kio took out his candy from his mouth and smiled excitedly.

"Sou-chan are we going to eat now?"

"Yes. I'm feeling a bit famished," the other man said smiling.

"Yaay! I'll go get the food!"

"Ritsuka-kun? Ritsuka-kun!"

Ritsuka awoke to the sound of Yuiko whispering to him. "Huh? What is it?"

He realized some of the kids were laughing at him and that Shinonome-sensei was standing in front of him with a rather annoyed look. Lately he had been losing sleep so he would end up lying awake in bed staring at the ceiling and wondering if that figure would pop up any time soon. Poor Ritsuka would only get 3 to 4 hours of sleep every other night now.

"Aoyagi-kun please pay attention during class!" Shinonome-sensei retreated back to the chalk board and started writing. As she lectured, Ritsuka rubbed his eyes and opened his math book slowly. Yuiko looked at him with great concern in her eyes. This was the 4th time he fell asleep during class not including lunch or break time. After a couple minutes of glancing at him, she continued to work. Though she wished Ritsuka wasn't so tired. Yuiko really hoped he would be able to help her with the problems.

During break later in the day, Ritsuka went to go walk around to keep himself busy. He had to lie to Yuiko saying he was going to use the rest room because he knew she would of asked to come along if he didn't. Right now...he wasn't in the mood for company. The slender boy leaned against a window and watched as little birds hopped about the ground of the school yard outside. As he continued his scanning of the school yard, He saw a familiar figure standing outside of the enterance.

"Soubi? Hmph...after not showing himself for almost two weeks he decides to come? What is he thinking?" Ritsuka walked down the stairs to go confront the fighter before break was over. Soubi stood there with his hands in his pockets looking at nothing in particular. He had wondered about the figure Youji had spoken of and about what he said about it being connected to the Seven Moons.

"Hmm...," he thought, "It does seem odd. Youji doesn't usually act upset like that and there hasn't been any perculiar activity from the Seven Moons. Could they be planning something?"

"Soubi!"

Ritsuka's yell startled the fighter out of his thoughts. "Huh?! Oh hello Ritsuka. Aren't you suppose to be in class?"

"Its break time. Why are you here?"

"I came to see you. Its been a long time you know."

"And I wonder why."

"Don't be mad Ritsuka. I'm was finishing some important tasks up for university. I'm on my summer vacation for two weeks."

Ritsuka looked down at his shoes frowning. "You could of called," he mumbled.

"True but you could have done the same. I can't always be the one to reach out to you. You must also call me." Soubi pulled him into a hug and smiled. The boy's eyes widend and he blushed.

"Soubi...we can't keep doing this." He pulled gently away from his provider of comfort and felt a sting of uneasiness in him.

"What do you mean Ritsuka?"

Before he could explain, the bell rang signaling the students to get back to class. Ritsuka sighed then said, "I'll explain later." And with that he ran off to class. Soubi took out a cigarette and lit it. He blew out some smoke and began his way down the sidewalk when his cell rang.

"Hello?"

"Soubi-kun. Its been a while," the voice at the other end of the line said. The man stopped dead in his tracks. It was Ritsu-sensei.

"What do you want?" Soubi asked suspiciously. He knew better than to converse with the likes of him yet he didn't like the way he sounded right now.

"I've been informed that there has been a warcraft wandering around town. It seems he is looking for someone."

Soubi realized Youji wasn't making this up after all! However he thought it was weird Ritsu-sensei knew so much of the mysterious warcraft already. There was long pause and the other man finally continued.

"I think its better if you were to stay away from Loveless for awhile. We aren't sure but we think he is somehow related to him. Its better to go your seperate ways."

Soubi couldn't believe what he was hearing. He gritted his teeth slightly with anger. Why should he listen to this bastard anyway? There was another long pause and finally Soubi hung up. He wasn't going to listen to that guy go on and on about this. The man thought for a moment then an idea came up in his head.

"Is it possible the Seven Moons are going to send another team after us? And what Ritsu said about Ritsuka being away from me...maybe they are planning to try and take him away again."

**AN**: Dun dun duuuuuunn!! xD Cliff hanger again. Whoo I'm glad this got done finally. Lets see how this chapter will go. I feel a bit awkward about it like it doesn't really weave together somewhat but I'll let you decide. Please R and R! I appreciate all of you out there who are reading this! It means a lot since I can't write squat D:


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Hello again my fellow readers! I can't believe how popular this story is right now! cries I am so happy!! I've been reading some of your works and they are very well written! Keep up the work! As requested by GaliStar07, I've put more SoubiXRitsuka scenes in here. Hope you like them! 3 Anyway here is the long awaited chapter you guys so desperately begged for! gets a brick thrown at her head I'm also very VERY sorry for the long delay.

Ritsuka took his seat in the class and slid back in his chair. How many times was that guy going to say those stupid words over and over? If he really loved him, he would tell about the Seven Moons. If he really loved him, he would tell him more about Seimei's murder but what was the use? If its something instructed by his older brother then there is no way Soubi would spill anything. If that's the case then why was he here? Keeping secrets from each other is an awful thing to do.

"Ritsuka-kun are you okay?" Yuiko was standing next to him holding her sweater with a frown on her face.

"Yes I'm fine. Why do you ask?" he replied folding his arms across his desk and resting his head.

"You seem sad. Did something happen when you were on break?"

"No I'm just tired that's all."

Shinonome-sensei came back into class and waited for everyone to be seated once again. As she continued their math lesson, Ritsuka looked out the window and notice Soubi wasn't standing there anymore. Sigh, why should he care?

The school day went by quicker than he thought and soon he found himself standing at the entrance of the school. He wondered how he had got there so fast and looked behind him. Seeing Yuiko was talking with Yayoi, he snuck away to get home on his own. Though, he didn't want to go home. Not right away anyway.

The boy yawned then continued his way down the sidewalk not noticing a figure watching him from afar. The figure took out a cigarette and lit it. He then took a look at the watch on his wrist and grinned.

"Just a little while longer, then we'll begin," he said in a low voice.

* * *

"No it's my turn!"

"No mine!"

Kio lied on the floor with a dumdums lollipop in his mouth and magazine in one hand reading over the articles about home cooked meals. All while trying to ignore the quarreling between Natsuo and Youji. They were reading a manga that Soubi bought for them but sharing seemed out of the question.

"Will you guys knock it off?!" Kio finally yelled.

Both of the younger boys threw a pillow at the blonde man's face.

"Keep out of this idiot!" They shouted back in unison.

A couple more "My turns!" and "No its mine! Give it backs!" and Soubi came through the front door with a rather stern face. Kio looked up and pulled the candy out of his mouth. He tried to say something but saw that the warcraft looked upset. He didn't want to start anything so he kept quiet and watched his friend walk into the bedroom. The other two didn't pause or even notice he cane through the apartment and ended up ripping the manga in half.

"I wonder what happened now," Kio thought standing up and looking at where the warcraft took his coat off. "It probably has something to do with that Aoyagi brat!"

"Look what you did! It's ruined!"

"Well if you haven't started pulling this never would happened!"

"Shut up!! Just shut up!!"

Soubi opened his cell and stared at the number he was familiar with. He sat within the darkness of the room and wished Ritsuka could call him that moment. After a moment his cell went blank to conserve battery power.

"_Why won't you let me embrace you?_

_Your soul?"_

The tall man sighed then made his way to the bed. He pulled the sheets over his head and yawned.

"Ritsuka….please let me love you."

* * *

"Mom? I'm home," Ristuka called out. He took off his shoes and walked into the kitchen. On the table was the dishes set up for dinner but no one was present in the kitchen. He looked in the living room and no one was there either. The bedroom was bare and so was the bathroom.

"Where did she go?" he wondered. The boy walked over to his room and set all his school items on his desk then laid on his bed without taking his jacket off. He moved his foot in a circle as if to keep the circulation from numbing his limb. A sudden startle of his cell phone going off made him jump and fall off the bed.

"H-hello?"

"Is this Aoyagi Ritsuka?"

"Wha…who is this?"

"I'm what you would call a messenger. Kind of for the Seven Moons if you will."

The boy gasped. "What do you want?!" he demanded angrily. The man on the other line chuckled.

"My, what a temper you have there! There is no need to get excited Ritsuka-kun. I'm here to give you a message. That's all."

Ritsuka wasn't sure about him but he kept on listening.

After a moment Ritsuka went wide eyed and dropped his phone.

"Wha... how…can that be?!" he whispered falling to his knees. "That's impossible!"

Immediately he grabbed his cell and ran down stairs to put his shoes on. His heart started beating faster and he was getting even more scared by the minute.

"I must find Soubi!" he said to himself but then stopped hurrying for his shoes. Ritsuka frowned then looked at his phone.

"Why would he care? It's me who will be out of his way soon. He'd probably be relieved."

"If I go though….I'll be away from mom and I won't be beaten anymore. However, Yuiko will be upset that I won't be attending school anymore. At least not here. And Soubi….humph. He wouldn't care."

He walked back up to his room and sat at his desk thinking as hard as he could about what to do with the situation. Should he do it or stay as the way things are?

"Ritsuka….what are you doing?"

Ritsuka turned quickly to see Soubi standing at the sliding doors. He gasped out his name then turned back embarrassed.

"N-nothing. Why are you here?"

"I came to see you of course. How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"You said you wanted to talk about us?"

"Huh? Oh...uh…yeah."

Soubi sat down on the side of Ritsuka's bed and pulled out a cigarette. The boy sat on the bed next to him.

"You know…," he started, "I got a call. From the Seven Moons."

Soubi stopped himself from lighting the item in his mouth.

"What? When?"

"This afternoon when I came home from school."

"What did they tell you?"

"That….they…," Ritsuka was finding it hard to form the words in his mouth. Why was he feeling so scared now? Why was there tears starting to roll down his soft cheeks?

Soubi pulled the younger boy into a hug. He felt his face heat up and his arms shaking. Ritsuka had never felt this way before.

"Don't cry Ritsuka. I'm here. I won't let anyone from the Seven Moons do anything to you. I promise."

Ritsuka sobbed a little but managed to pull away from the taller man. He didn't want to trust these man's words but he wanted to be near him at the same time. It was tearing him up inside so badly.

"How do I know that? Do you really mean what you say at all?! I'm a kid and you're an adult. You're just telling me this because I'm feeling vulnerable right now!"

"Ritsuka that's not-"

"I don't want to hear it! All you're doing is promising me things you aren't really going to do in the end! I don't want this! I don't want this at ALL! "

There was silence in the room between the both of them. After a moment, Soubi turned away and walked out of the room leaving Ritsuka crying on the bed.

**AN:** Wow! Who could the mysterious man that called Ritsuka be? And why did Ritsuka act so afraid afterwards? Will this be the last time Soubi visits Ritsuka? Or even the last time he will ever say "I love you?" Find out next time! And again I apologize for the late chapter bows infinity times


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Hello everyone! How are you? I hope you're all doing well. This is chapter number 4! This one will be longer than the previous chapters so get your snacks and pillows and get comfortable because it's going to be a while. I hope you all enjoy and thank you once again for all those reading and/or reviewing! It really really means a lot. Enjoy:D

Ritsuka watched through blurry tears as the tall man escaped out through the sliding doors. He rubbed his face to rid himself of the tears but they kept coming down fast. The boy laid there sniffing and groaning from time to time but soon found the courage to lift himself from the bed. He moved some hair out of his face then looked around.

He really snapped at Soubi this time. And usually Soubi would try his best to convince Ritsuka that he was all that he loved. However, this time Soubi left without trying anything else.

"Of course you moron! What else would you expect from an outburst like that?" Ritsuka thought angrily to himself.

He went down stairs when he heard the sound of the front door shut. He looked at his mother who had a peculiar expression on her face. It worried him quite a bit but he kept his composure.

"Oh, hello Ritsuka. I brought home some ingredients from the store to make your favorite dinner tonight."

"Oh crap. This isn't good," the boy thought trying not to look like he had been crying. "Mom gets so angry if I don't eat the right food placed in front of me. I haven't had Ritsuka's favorite meal in a long time so I can't really remember which food he likes or hates. I could tell her I'm not hungry and say I'm not feeling well but I think she's caught on to that excuse."

"Is something wrong Ritsuka?"

"Huh? Um….no nothing. I'm going to go out for a while."

Huh? Wait Ritsuka!"

Before his mother could stop him he was outside with barely his shoes even on. He looked at his watch and saw it beeping to 5 o'clock. He took his cell out and scrolled through the call log that had all the numbers stored that had called him recently. Most of them….were Soubi's number. He frowned but kept scrolling till he got to a number that was unfamiliar to him.

"This has to be it."

"Hey, Sou-chan? Are you here?" Kio yelled as he brought in some groceries.

"He went out somewhere," Natsuo said placing some magazines to the side and yawning.

flash back

_Soubi came inside his apartment wet from the rain that had fallen that night. Natsuo and Youji were sleeping peacefully on the floor with a blanket and one pillow they failed to share. Soubi threw his coat on the floor then threw his shoes off by the door. Youji opened one of his eyes and saw the taller man sit there at the dining table in silence. Under closer observation, he swore he saw tears in the fighter's eyes. _

_Soubi then got up and Youji quickly pretended to still be asleep as he passed the two boys. "What is he doing?" the aqua haired boy thought blinking his eyes open again. _

"…ouji! Youji! Are you listening to me?"

"What is it?" he replied to his friend.

"Did he tell you where he would be?" Natsuo said twisting the banana he picked from the fridge in his mouth.

"Um no he didn't. I don't think he would want us to know."

"Good point," thought Natsuo.

Kio scrunched his face up in irritation. "I bet he went to see the Aoyagi brat again! What is with him lately?! He doesn't usually do it that often!"

As Kio made his daily complaints of Soubi, The two boys snuck out the front door to leave the blonde to his grumbling. They walked beside each other not saying a word for a long time until they came upon the very place where they almost defeated Soubi in battle.

"Hey do you remember that-"

"Yeah I do."

It almost felt like yesterday to them. It wasn't what someone would call a good memory or a bad one either but it was something to remember. Just as they were heading back, Youji stopped dead in his tracks.

"Youji? What's the matter?" Natsuo asked walking back to him.

"Someone is here. A fighter," Youji said in a cracking voice which his partner could only describe as the sound of fear. The two started to look around then stuck close to each other. Natsuo soon sensed the fighter. It was a sensation almost like something was about to sting him but it would always stop at a certain point then build up again.

"I've never felt anything like this before," the dark haired boy said gritting his teeth. A sudden burst of darkness devoured them leaving only some rays of light hear and there. The two went back to back and held on to each other's hands.

"What's going on?! They can't just start the battle just like that!" Youji said in anger.

"We must stick together," Natsuo responded to his partner.

"Heh heh heh. Fancy meeting a fighter and his sacrifice here. What are the odds of that?" a voice was heard in the darkness from the surroundings. It sounded eerie yet to close for comfort. The boy held on to each other tighter.

"Who are you?! You can't just start a battle with a pair who is unaware of you!" Natsuo yelled trying to sound brave.

"Says who?" the figure was now in front of Natsuo so fast that he was sure no one was there. The boy went wide eyed and before he could do anything the figure had him in restraints and thrown to the ground.

"Natsuo! What happened?!" Youji said running to his friend's side.

"I don't know. He somehow got me restraint."

"You two," the voice started, "Do you know where Agatsuma Soubi is?"

"Sou-chan what are you doing? You've been cooped up in there for hours ever since you came back from god knows where!" Kio yelled knocking on the bedroom door.

Soubi sat beside his bed smoking and looking at his cell. He soon got up after Kio's senseless knocking had died down. He sighed and stood up. As he made his way out the bedroom, Kio looked at him concerned.

"Sou-chan what's wrong? Are you sick?"

"No I'm not. I've just been feeling overwhelmed lately. I see you brought bento for us to eat."

"Oh yes! This one has the best chicken teriyaki…."

As he listened to his friend talk, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. When he looked around the apartment he realized what had caused his uneasiness. Natsuo and Youji were gone.

"Where did those two go?" Soubi tried to ask causally.

"Hmm? Oh I don't know. They went somewhere. They said they'll be right back but you never know with those guys," Kio said stuffing himself with rice.

Soubi sighed then picked up a piece of tempura and inspected it carefully. After a moment, he took a small bite. It tasted uncooked.

"Ughh…!" Natsuo fell to his knees in exhaustion. He breathed heavily and looked beside him to see if his partner was alright.

"Natsuo! What should I do? I don't think I'm strong enough to fight the guy," the aqua haired cat boy thought kneeling beside his friend. The guy came into the light and the two could now see a clear image of the man.

He was tall with solid black hair that was messy but framed his face. His skin was pale and he had piercing dark blue eyes. He was dressed in a pair of jeans with boots and a long trench coat.

"Where is Agatsuma Soubi? I'm not going to keep this small talk up with you two. Time is short."

"We aren't telling you anything you bastard!" Youji yelled. "Why should we tell you anything?!"

"Alright then. I guess I'll have to fight you. What a waste of time," the man said backing away slowly. He stood in his stance and chanted an unfamiliar spell in an unfamiliar language the two could not understand.

Quickly, Youji got into position and casted a defense spell to buy some time to think of a plan. However Youji was using up all his strength and he was getting weaker.

"Youji we need to get out of here! He is clearly too powerful! " Natsuo yelled as he tried to stand.

"It ends here," the mysterious man said.

A sudden flash surrounded them and then it was silent. Before the neko boys could do anything, they were on the ground in pain and bleeding from different parts of their bodies.

The man walked next to them and pushed Youji over with his foot.

"You should have listened when you had the chance kid. Guess I'll have to call up Ritsuka-kun again. I thought he called earlier during battle but I guess it was my imagination. "

Youji went wide eyed. Ritsuka?! What did he have to do with any of this?

Ritsuka looked at his cell phone. It said 5:25 pm but he didn't want to go home just yet. He sat in the park on a bench watching some little kids playing and then running up to their mothers who were waiting for them on another bench.

Ritsuka sighed and then leaned back scrolling through the numbers until he got to the unfamiliar number again. It was a very tense situation. Should he call the man who called him? Maybe he had answers Soubi wasn't willing to give him. Maybe even answers about Seimei's death.

He pressed the call button and heard a ringing from the other end of the line. The next sound heard was static and some screaming. This startled the boy and he hung up.

"What…was that?" he thought

**AN:** Ha! Done! Okay, okay not as long as I planned it to be but still. At least I got it done! And I'm sorry for being soo late and keeping all you good readers out there hanging for so long. I'm soo sorry!! gets hit with a metal bat 1,000 times Ouch…I deserve that! faints


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Heya everybody! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story so far. Especially since this is my first Loveless fic. Well this is chapter 5! Woot! throws confetti and blows party horn I'm so happy! And I'm also sorry for leaving you guys at a cliff hanger every time but that's how I like to put people on the edge of their computer chairs or whatever it is you sit on. XD Anyway here Chapter 5! And GaliStar07 requested that I create a certain scene so I did! Hope you like it GaliStar07:D And I just found out from IsuzuForever that Youji is the sacrifice so I humbly and deeply apologize for my misinterpretation in the last chapter. bows 6,000 times Thanks for pointing that out! ;;

Kio sat next to the bed as he placed a wash cloth over Youji and Natsuo's foreheads. Their wounds weren't severe as Soubi thought it would be. Their scratches were wrapped up and their bloody wounds were taken care of by Kio. Soubi stood by the door of the bedroom the two boys were laying in.

"How are they?" he asked folding his arms.

"Not bad but not good either. They are totally exhausted and need to rest for a while," the blonde man said getting up.

"This is pretty bad. I wonder if a warcraft and his sacrifice were the cause of this," Soubi thought walking outside to have a smoke.

"Oi! I'm going out to the pharmacy. I'll be back soon!" Kio said as he went down the stairs.

"Alright. Be careful!"

Kio gasped. "He told me to be careful! Oh he does care about me!"

flash back

_The man walked next to them and pushed Youji over with his foot. _

"_You should have listened when you had the chance kid. Guess I'll have to call up Ritsuka-kun again. I thought he called earlier during battle but I guess it was my imagination. " _

_Youji went wide eyed. Ritsuka?! What did he have to do with any of this?!_

_The man took out his silver cell phone and started to scroll through his list of recent calls that were made to him. He smiled and glared at the same time as he turned to his victims groaning once in a while. Even then the two neko boys were too weak to make too many sounds. _

"_Ah, here we go!" he said pressing his foot harder on Youji's back. _

_There was a little pause on the phone then a small voice._

"_Hello?"_

"_Hello Ritsuka-kun! Remember me?"_

"_You! You have some explaining to do!"_

_The man sighed and looked up into the sky as if expecting something to fall down any minute. _

"_Is Soubi not telling you anything? That's not like him. He told everything to Seimei."_

_Ritsuka was going to say something back to him but found it difficult. He was right. Soubi told everything to his brother and now that Soubi is "supposedly" his, Soubi won't tell him anything. How does that work?! _

"_Why did you kill Seimei?!"_

"_You know Soubi is making sure you find out nothing," the man said sticking his hand in his trench coat. _

"_Stop changing the subject!" Ritsuka yelled._

"_Haven't you ever wandered why you're with "Beloved" and not "Loveless"? Seimei made sure you were partnered up with "Beloved" instead so you wouldn't find anything out. Just receive fake feelings from an adult when you're feeling venerable."_

_Ritsuka was shocked. _

"_Heh. What if we set up a little meeting? If you come with me, I'll tell you everything you need to know."_

_The offer sounded tempting but the boy wasn't sure. In fact, he wasn't sure about anything anymore. What did he have to lose?_

"_Where is it that you wanted to meet?" Ritsuka asked with hesitance in his voice. _

_That was last Youji heard of Ritsuka talking from the phone. _

end flashback

Soubi suddenly jerked his hand when he realized he had been too deep in thought to even notice that his cigarette was burning his fingers. He sighed and went back inside. It had been an eternity since he last talked to Ritsuka. At least it felt that way to him. The tall man sat on the floor beside the two injured boys and took out his cell phone.

He put the phone to his ear to hear the ringing at the other end and then heard someone pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Ritsuka."

"Oh….hi."

There was a large amount of tension choking both of them at the same time. Soubi wanted to end this fight now but before he could speak, Ritsuka beat him to it.

"Listen, I'm sorry for acting like that last time."

Soubi found it somewhat weird Ritsuka was apologizing. He didn't really remember the boy ever doing that with him before. But the taller man kept his composure.

"Don't worry about it. I wanted to…"

"Soubi?"

"What is it?"

"I found Loveless."

Soubi suddenly went frozen with shock and fear. What did he mean he found "Loveless"? Impossible. Seimei told Soubi to protect his little brother. Therefore Soubi is Ritsuka's fighter. However, could it be that Seimei didn't tell Soubi something before he died?

"Seimei might have been hiding something from me the whole time I didn't even know it," he thought.

"Ritsuka I….Ritsuka?"

The line suddenly went dead at the other end.

"Ritsuka! Damn it," he said as he got up from the floor. He quickly got his shoes and coat and ran outside leaving the two neko boys in bed with the lights off.

Natsuo was the first of the two to wake up. He rubbed his head carefully and then saw Youji next to him still unconscious. Natsuo smiled suddenly.

"Soubi must have found us," he thought. He found himself snuggling up to his friend who was shivering beneath the sheets then drifting back to sleep.

Soubi stood outside Ritsuka's bedroom window contemplating whether he should see if Ritsuka is alright or assume everything is as it usually was. He lifted a pale hand and gently wrapped at the window. A small thump was heard from inside.

"Ritsuka are you….Ritsuka!!"

To his shock he found the young boy on the floor with blood trickling from his mouth. He shook the boy to try and stir him but he was unconscious. A figure past him then threw the surprised man across the room.

"Agatsuma Soubi. Well I didn't think you'd be off guard like that," the figure said. "I'm honored to meet you Beloved. I'm afraid there have been some changes. I will be taking Ritsuka under my wing. He will no longer have to bare his mother's beatings or your fake expressions of love."

The long haired man glared but kept his composure. This was indeed an enemy. Most likely from the Seven Moons. It was amazing how determined they were to go after Ritsuka like this. To the point where they even try to hurt him.

"Who are you? Ritsuka is staying here."

"Who? I'm a little hurt you don't remember me. I'm Seimei," The man stepped into the moonlight where his facial features were visible. Soubi went wide eyed.

"Well not really," the man continued on, "True Seimei was murdered by the Seven Moons but I guess you can say I'm the reincarnation of Ritsuka-kun's older brother. So I'm him just in a different body but I have his memories in the process. They call me Seita."

Soubi couldn't believe this was happening. No. He didn't care who he was or what he came for. All he knew was he needed to get Ritsuka away from him and quick.

"Ritsuka has nothing to do with this."

"Oh but he does. I'm taking _my_ sacrifice with me. I am Loveless now. I'm no longer Beloved. And Ritsuka-kun can finally be with his fighter."

Soubi tried to go after him but was shoved back into the bedroom wall with sharp ice needles holding him down.

"And now I'll finish you."

A burst of energy came through the window sending glass shards everywhere. Soubi weakly looked up to see who came to rescue him.

"Well well, just what we need. More people to get in the way," Seita said in frustration. He grabbed the limp boy with one arm and jumped out the window.

"Midori after him!" Ai shouted at her sacrifice as she ran to the injured man's side. Midori jumped out and followed after. When she was sure he was out of sight, she turned to Soubi.

"Are you alright?"

The taller man grunted in pain but sat himself up.

"Yes I'm fine. But why did you save me? I thought you were working for the Seven Moons."

"Apparently you're not the only one who is against him. Midori and I have been dismissed from the Seven Moons. It was all due to him being our replacement. We aren't helping you because we are on your side though. We are helping you because they are about to do something dangerous that involves your sacrifice."

AN: Why did Midori and Ai get replaced by Seita? What dangerous plan involves Ritsuka? And will Soubi be able to rescue him and show that truly does love him? Stay tuned:D


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Welcome everyone to the 6th chapter! I'm very pleased that all you readers seem to be enjoying my story so far. My updates are lagging behind but don't worry. I'll be making it up by posting another chapter soon after this one. I love leaving you guys at cliff hangers D Anyway please enjoy.

"_Ritsuka…,"_

_A voice as quiet as the falling snow seems to fill the ears of the injured._

"_Ritsuka please wake up," the voice said._

Ritsuka slowly opened his groggy eyes and saw Seita kneeling beside him. The man put a hand to the boy's forehead. Ritsuka looked up at him with surprise.

"You don't seem to have a bump anywhere. Can you stand?"

"I-I think so," Ritsuka said slowly. He was helped up to his feet but wobbled a little.

"I think its best if you remain lying down. I don't want you getting worse than you already are."

Seita layed the boy back down on the ground and put his jacket under his head. Ritsuka then realized he didn't know where he was or if Soubi was coming to find him. Wait…why would _he _want to come save him now? After all the things he shouted at him and accused him of, why now?

"Wait a minute, who are you and where are we?" Ritsuka asked weakly.

"Don't worry your safe now Ritsuka. No one can hurt you anymore. Physically or emotionally. I'm here to help you," Seita said holding the boy's hand.

"_Help me?_" Ritsuka thought fuzzily. He then realized everything around them was dark except for an invisible light that was coming down on him.

"You still haven't told me who you are. Are you from the Seven Moons?"

The man stood up smiling warmly.

"You can call me Seimei."

"Nrrggh!"

"Hold still!"

Ai sat beside Soubi wrapping up his scratches and wounds from the deadly encounter. The two were at an old abandoned house not far from Ritsuka's waiting for Midori to come back.

Just as Ai was wrapping up the last of the wounds, Midori appeared red in the face and out of breath. Ai tied a small knot then walked over to her sacrifice.

"How did it go?"

"Not good. They just disappeared as soon as I thought I had them," Midori said wiping his forehead. "I think I have a good idea where he took Loveless though."

"Where?" Ai asked looking at him concerned.

"Where the Seven Moons are that's where."

They looked at each other then at Soubi who was sitting himself up against the moldy wall. Soubi had to recover from his injuries before they did anything else but who knows how long that could take?

"Listen Beloved, I have a good idea where they are keeping Loveless but if we help you, you must help us in exchange," Midori said as kneeled in front of the taller man.

"Fine. What's the deal?" Soubi asked in a serious tone.

"Seita is the one who took mine and Ai's positions in the Seven Moons away. This is because Beloved is rumored to be one of the strongest fighters around. However now that he's been reincarnated to become Loveless's fighter, this could be a problem for you. If we help rescue Loveless you must help us destroy Seita."

"What would be the point of destroying him?" asked Soubi standing up.

"If we destroy him now," Ai chimed in, "Seven Moons will be weaker without him. They had been secretly keeping him from the other fighters in the organization. However me and Midori found out about it and got thrown out of the Seven Moons."

"Also we were considered the weakest team there so they thought there was no point in keeping us," Midori added.

Ai frowned and folded her arms in anger. She hated being referred to as a weakling. After their discussion, Soubi sighed then nodded.

"Alright. It's a deal. You must keep your end of the bargin, he said as they shook hands on it.

"Hey we may have attacked you and your sacrifice a long time ago but that doesn't mean we go back on our promises Beloved."

"Wha-What?!" Ritsuka went wide eyed.

This man is….Seimei?! How can that be? He was killed by the Seven Moons years ago! There was no way he could be his brother.

"Ritsuka you don't remember me?" the man came closer and kneeled in front of the shaking boy.

"You're not Seimei!! Seimei is dead!"

"No I'm not Ritsuka. I'm alive! And I'm here to take you away from all of the loneliness you've been feeling around at home and around Soubi!" Seita clinged to his hand lovingly.

"Loneliness? Soubi?"

"Well yes Ritsuka. Why do you think I came back to you? I'm here to make sure nothing bad ever happens to you. To make sure you know the truth and nothing but the truth instead of lies and secrets that can't be told to you. Isn't that what you would really like little brother?"

Ritsuka looked down at the ground. What was he suppose to do? The words that flowed through his mouth sounded very promising. More than Soubi sounded but….he was confused.

"_What should I do?"_ he thought.

Seita then wrapped his arms around the smaller boy.

"I've missed you Ritsuka. You've grown to be such a smart and good little brother. If you stay with me, mother won't ever lay a finger on you. Soubi won't ever say "I love you" and not mean it."

"You're the one that told him to say something like that to me. And it hurt. A lot." Ritsuka said remembering when Soubi first said that to him. He never felt such a more conflicting sensation then when his fighter said that to him.

"I'm really sorry. I won't do such a thing ever again."

"Where did you go? I've spent so much time trying to find you and Soubi wouldn't tell me anything about your supposed death."

Seita smiled but kept the boy embraced.

"So then, join me Ritsuka. Be my sacrifice and I 'll never let you get hurt."

"You know Ai I don't know if we can go back to Seven Moons. They might have changed the way to get in."

Ai sighed in frustration.

"Yeah you could be right about that. Gasp!"

"Ai! Whats wrong?!" Midori asked as he turned to his fighter.

"There," Soubi said pointing to a shadowy like area coming from a certain part of a park. There two figures were standing together. One was almost as tall as Soubi and the other….the same height as Ritsuka!

"Ritsuka!" Soubi yelled as he ran towards the dark shadow.

"Wait Beloved! What are you doing?!" Ai shouted angrily.

The smaller figure turned around and saw Soubi running towards them. He hid behind the taller figure.

"Ritsuka!" Soubi shouted again but no answer came. Just as things seem to look a bit worse then imagined Seita shot an attack at Soubi piercing through the shadow. The light haired man fell back and saw Seita step out with Ritsuka behind him.

"It's Loveless! And that sleaze ball!" Ai said in annoyance.

"Well we meet again Beloved. Just what do you plan to do? You can't fight me without a sacrifice."

He was right. He should of thought up a plan before selfishly rushing into danger. He should know better than that! But what about Seita? He doesn't have a sacrifice himself.

"We'll fight! You go and get Loveless!" Midori said to Soubi.

Soubi started making a run for Ritsuka who was making a run for it. Seita turned to attack once again but Ai shot an attack at him. This was starting to piss him off!

"Hey! Were the ones your fighting not him," The magenta haired girl said coolly.

"Humph! You expect to win with that kind of power? Its no wonder they decided to kick you out of the school."

"Grrrr!!"

"Ai calm down! He is trying to distract you. Focus on giving him damage," Midori said as he clasped his fighter's hand. Ai blushed.

"Midori…."

"How are you going to fight without a sacrifice Seita? Looks like he ran off," Midori said looking back at his opponent.

Seita suddenly broke into laughter only to be described as insane and disturbing at the same time. The Breathless pair gasped a little in fear. What was with this guy?!

"Come on now, I thought you two were smarter than that. Then again its no wonder you two got kicked out of school," the dark haired man said stepping closer to the pair.

"My plan isn't to use Loveless as a sacrifice at all. Why do you think I'm able to start a battle and attack without him? Without anyone?!"

"What?!"

**AN:** Dum dum dum duum duuuuumm!! Hey ho! How did you guys like it? Why _is_ Seita able to attack anyone without the help of another? Why was he telling Ritsuka those lies? And will Soubi stop Ritsuka from making a run for it? Tune in next time!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Hello my fellow readers! Welcome to the 7th chapter of this fanfic. Anyway I hope you enjoy the following. Please be aware that this might not be as long as the other chapters. So please forgive me bows And again sorry for being late.

Ai and Midori felt very uneasy now. He didn't need Ritsuka at all? Then what was the point of taking him in the first place?! This was all a bit too confusing.

"If….," Midori stumbled, "If your plan was not to have Loveless at all then why bother taking him?"

Seita ran a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly. This very man, who claimed to be a reincarnation of Seimei, had a look of pure evil in his eye and a power he was ready to use against anyone who got in his way.

"Loveless is actually being used as my decoy. Once you two are out of the way, I'll rejoin with Loveless and destroy Beloved. Loveless will then come back with me."

"Like that's going to happen!" Ai cried out. Another shot was launched at Seita but he blocked it with ease.

"Ai! Don't be so hasty! We gotta think of a plan soon or this isn't going to turn out well," Midori said as they scooted closer together.

"We don't have tim—"

Before another word was said a high pitched sound was heard then an explosion. Smoke filled the area and lying on the ground was Seita bleeding from the mouth unconscious. Ai had a shield up but she fell to the ground coughing up blood.

"Ai! Why did you do that?!"

"Wh-What else could we have done?" she asked weakly. Both her arms were hurt from the strain she put them through to shield herself and Midori from Seita's attack. However hurt she was, Ai still managed to pick herself up from her sacrifice's arms and stand up with her face twisted with anger.

"Ai don't get up! You'll injure yourself more. Right now that he's unconscious we should—"

"Midori get back!!"

Seita stood up with a twisted smile on his face and laughed. He wiped the blood from his chin and patted his coat to get some dirt off.

"I'm impressed Ai. You managed to block an attack that had so much force put into it. Why didn't you show that potential at the school? You might have kept your place there. "

"Ritsuka! Stop!" Soubi called out to the boy but he kept running until he tripped over his own feet.

The fighter ran over out of breath to his sacrifice to see if he was okay but Ritsuka swatted his hand away. Soubi's face became stern but hurt at the same time. After they both caught their breath, Soubi was the first to speak out.

"Ritsuka….why are you doing this?"

"He…he told me he would explain what happened to Seimei. And not….keep it hidden anymore."

"Ritsuka do you really believe that?"

The boy was about to speak but no words would come out. He frowned and looked away. Soubi sighed.

"Ritsuka how long will you prolong yourself to this matter? Seimei is gone. That man is not Seimei. He is just using you."

"Why should I believe you Soubi? You kept taunting me and saying that you knew why Seimei died yet you couldn't tell me. You….you keep saying "I love you" when really it's just a stupid command from him," Ritsuka was now on the verge of tears when Seita appeared.

"Step away from Loveless Beloved."

The two stood up from the dusty ground and looked at the dark man in front of their eyes. Soubi stepped in front of Ritsuka and glared at his enemy with fire burning in his eyes.

"You are not taking him anywhere. He stays here no matter what."

"I don't think so. Ritsuka please come here."

Ritsuka looked up at Soubi then at Seita. He felt so confused now. Who should he go with? He didn't know. He had no idea.

"Ritsuka please don't leave. Think about all the friends you've made here who will be upset if you leave. Yuiko will be terribly sad and Yayoi too. Does finding out how Seimei died really important now?"

Ritsuka gasped but then replied weakly,"No...I...I don't know anymore."

"Get out of my way Beloved. Or I'll be forced to attack," Seita said coming closer.

"Wait a minute! You didn't say anything about attacking anybody," Ritsuka said with his voice trembling.

He was suddenly pulled close to Soubi's body. The boy then felt the other's heart beating faster than his. Was this man who never showed any fear in front of anyone, scared? It didn't seem to show on his pale face but deep in his blue eyes there was a spark of fear that Ritsuka saw like he never experienced before.

"It's alright Ritsuka. I'll protect you."

Those words lingered in the cat boy's ears and then imprinted them onto his heart. However he still felt uneasy about his words. Was he really telling the truth? Ritsuka lowered his head in sadness and confusion.

"I-I don't know," he finally said weakly. Ritsuka was tired. Tired of having to choose sides. Tired of playing good guy and bad guy.

"I just want everything to go back to the way it was before all this fighter and sacrifice stuff happened. Why can't Seimei come back?"

"Seimei is dead Ritsuka. You must move on. Even if we don't find the answer you're looking for, why go through this again and again? Ritsuka don't leave your friends behind. Don't leave me behind."

Ritsuka was shocked to hear Soubi talk like this. He never really experienced how Soubi felt but at that moment it's like he felt every emotion a human has. Ritsuka kept his gaze down but spoke in a curious tone.

"Am-Am I that important to everyone?" he asked.

The tall man nodded in response. Seita finally said something after being cut off every time he believed it was his turn to speak.

"Ritsuka, why do you keep listening to him? He is only toying with you."

"Enough!" Soubi shouted.

"_I declare a battle of spells!"_ Soubi chanted. Holding his hand out, a sudden force was lurking among the ground until it spread all over and darkness was the only thing left except for snow that fell and had a certain glow to it.

"Soubi," Ritsuka started but all the fighter did was pull him close.

"I will protect you Ritsuka."

Seita chanted a spell suddenly that sounded like a made up language but Soubi was quicker and put up a defense. He realized that he couldn't keep shielding them like this so he called forth a spell that had fire blazing around them. Now Seita couldn't escape. However…..neither could they.

**AN:** Hey guys! Next chapter is the final showdown! Who will win and who will lose? You'll have to stick around! Thank you for putting up with my lousy updating. I know this chapter seems a bit flat and boring which is why the chapter isn't that long. So yeah…I'm sorry if you were expecting something else to happen. Was having major writer's block at the time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Hey guys! Sorry this took so long! School is being all blah and I'm going through a personal problem but I think its working out now. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this story that I wrote (actually more like typed XD) and hope those of you who come passing by or would like to read my other writings will stay tuned for the mini stories I have coming up! Anyway thank you for reading this and enjoy the last chapter!

"Ha ha ha ha!" Seita laughed. "That was very foolish of you to do! Now neither of us can escape. Just what do you plan on doing if you defeat me? I've been ordered to take Ritsuka back with me and that's just what I intend to do."

Soubi glared at his opponent. He was still a little weak from their last encounter when Seita took Ritsuka away once before. However that wasn't going to happen again. He looked at his sacrifice who was clinging to him in fear.

"Ritsuka listen to me. I'm going to attempt to make a dangerous play on the battle field that involves you but if we time it just right we may be able to bring him down. I've set up a shield for the time being. I won't force you though. If you would rather do something more safe then…,"

"N-no, let's go one with the one you just mentioned," Ritsuka said bluntly.

"Ritsuka."

"I'll be okay. I will."

"Very well then," Soubi said looking back up at Seita.

"You're really making me impatient here Beloved. Therefore I'll attack first!" Seita shot an array of what Soubi thought were arrows but they turned out to be sharp objects of ice hailing down on them. The fighter quickly shielded the cat boy from harm but even that didn't stop the ice from leaving cuts here and there.

"Damn!" Soubi thought as he looked around the ring of fire they were trapped in. He suddenly spotted the first step of his plan from beyond the hot flames of orange and yellow. "Heh. Good they're here," he thought again with some relief.

"Ritsuka I'm going to do the next step of the plan. It's an attack I tried once before on Natsuo and Youji when you weren't here. It's not as powerful if the sacrifice isn't present but you will need to be ready to run when I tell you to."

Ritsuka was totally confused. Run? Why run away? He couldn't leave Soubi there alone.

"Why run away Soubi? I need to be by you so the attack can work!"

"Don't worry I'll be fine. Now I need you to stand behind me and put your hands on my back."

Ritsuka blushed and was a bit hesitant but did as Soubi told him. The boy got into position and put his hands on Soubi's back. Ritsuka thoughtfully commented on how warm his fighter's body was but kept focus.

"Okay, if you look behind you Ai and Midori will be waiting on the other side of the fire. They will lead you to safety but you must keep running with them no matter what you hear or see."

The cat boy lowered his head and bit his lip from shouting anymore objections. He just wanted to end this once and for all. He looked up at Soubi who was faced forward again and ready to use the attack. The air suddenly felt as if it was getting cooler around them but still remaining hot like it did in the beginning. It was a rather strange experience that no one could really describe. It stung in a way but felt comforting too.

Ritsuka's hands were starting to feel really hot, almost as if he was being burned but he never moved his hands from the fighter.

Soubi was forming some sort of blue energy around them with his hands. It swept around the battle field like ribbons floating in the air on a cool autumn afternoon. Seita looked up at his opponent in terror and disbelief. How could there be an attack so strong like this?!

"What the hell is that?!" Ai shouted to her sacrifice.

"I don't know! Even if it starts to get dangerous we must wait until Loveless comes out!" Midori said looking on.

Everything around the premises was shaking violently like an earthquake but the battle continued.

"You bastard! You think a little magic trick like that will stop me!?" Seita screamed as he shot another attack at them. He was surprised to see though that his attack was absorbed. Soubi held his hand out with the energy swimming around it.

"Ritsuka go now!" Soubi shouted.

Ritsuka took away his hands but then saw just how much damage the attack was doing to his fighter's body without his help. He shook his head them placed his hands back on the fighter where his energy could be drawn again.

"No Ritsuka you must go now!"

"No! I won't!"

Ai and Midori ran up to the battle field.

"What is that dumbass doing?! We have to get him out of there!" Ai said running towards the pair. She was unfortunately thrown back by the force of the energy. Midori helped her up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"We can't go in. Loveless has to be the one to come out! Loveless! Get over here! It's too dangerous!"

"No! I can't leave!" Ritsuka said.

A sudden white flash was released and the last thing Ritsuka saw was Soubi ducking to cover him. There was no sound heard for what seemed like 15 minutes to the cat boy. He fluttered his violet eyes open and saw that he was no longer in the park but in his room with his head and wrists bandaged up.

What the hell happened?

He was very certain that he didn't remember getting hurt or how he ended up in his room for that matter. The sun was setting outside his window indicating that he had been slumbering for quite a while. He was in pajamas and his clothes were folded up and on top of his dresser.

He was about to leave his bed to explore a little but was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Ritsuka," Soubi whispered from his balcony door.

"Soubi….why are you here?" the younger boy asked wary.

"I came to see you. My vacation from university started. What happened?"

Ritsuka was confused for a second before realizing that Soubi was indicating the injuries placed upon him.

"We were in battle. Don't you remember, Soubi?"

"What battle? Seven Moons haven't been active for quite some time. Are you alright Ritsuka?"

He didn't know anymore. He swore that dream or whatever he had seen that night was real. The fighting, everything! Was Soubi lying to him again or was he telling the truth about having no knowledge of what he just mentioned.

"How did you get those injuries? Was it….your mother again?"

It was silence in the room for a moment or two then what came out of Ritsuka's mouth made no sense even to him self that he had a tear come down his cheek.

"No. It was me."

All Soubi could do was embrace the child who quietly sobbed into his coat.

AN: Sorry for this taking forever. Also for this being kinda cliche or confusing in a way. I had no idea honestly how to end this story. Maybe I'll do better next time guys. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy my other up coming stories.


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